THEY ATTACKED ME WHILE I HELD MY NEWBORN—BUT MY SOS WATCH EXPOSED THE DAUGHTER THEY SAID WAS DEAD

Naomi’s office was a sanctuary of organized chaos. Stacks of legal briefs, medical records, and printed emails covered every inch of her mahogany desk. When Mara walked in carrying Sarah’s intake file, Naomi was already on the phone with a clerk from the family court, arguing about sealed records.

Naomi hung up the phone and rubbed her temples. "Judge Corren sealed the custody transfer documents. He cited privacy concerns for the minor. Standard playbook when they want to hide a child in the system."

Mara set Sarah's file on the desk. "Sarah mentioned the report came from Vance Medical. Have we seen that name pop up in the Whitmore audits?"

Naomi opened her laptop, her fingers flying across the keyboard. "Arthur Vance. He was a silent investor in the Whitmore Foundation about six years ago. He pulled his funding quietly right around the time Daniel Mercer started asking questions."

"He knew the ship was going to sink, so he built a lifeboat," Mara said, looking at the glowing screen. "Vivian went down, but Vance took her methods and privatized them even further. He’s using medical guardianship to funnel children into his own specialized facilities."

"It’s highly lucrative," Naomi said grimly. "State subsidies, private grants, billing insurance for phantom treatments. But Vance is smarter than Vivian. He doesn't put his name on the board of directors. He uses shell companies."

"Can we trace the shell companies?"

Naomi sighed. "It will take time. They use offshore accounts and blind trusts. If we move too fast, Vance will realize we’re looking and transfer Sarah’s son to another state before we can file an injunction."

Mara stood up, looking out the window at the rain-slicked streets. "We don't have time. Sarah is barely holding together, and every day that boy spends in one of those facilities breaks him a little more."

"What are you suggesting?" Naomi asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Vivian kept physical ledgers because she didn't trust the cloud," Mara said. "Vance learned from her. If he was her partner, there’s someone who knows where his physical leverage is hidden."